The Silva Bridge is a Pratt pony truss bridge in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

which was built in 1897. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1995 and on the

Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas'') is a Government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Puerto Rico Planning Board, ...

in 2000. The Silva Bridge spans the

Guanajibo River The Guanajibo River () is a river that runs through Hormigueros, Cabo Rojo, Mayagüez, San Germán, and Sabana Grande in Puerto Rico. Flood control project In mid 2018, the United States Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be underta ...

, the boundary between Guanajibo barrio in

Hormigueros Hormigueros (, ) is a Hormigueros barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the western region of the island, northeast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Cabo Rojo; northwest of San Germán, Puerto Ri ...

and Guanajibo barrio in Cabo Rojo. It is on Highway 114 at kilometer 4. It was built in the year before the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and was the site of conflict between Spanish forces and the Americans, who invaded Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898. Sniper fire held up American forces under Brigadier General

Theodore Schwan Theodore Schwan (July 9, 1841 – May 27, 1926) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Peebles' Farm. He also served with distinction during the Spanish–America ...

who were seeking to go west across the bridge on August 10, 1898, delaying them by about two hours. The snipers were Spanish regulars and Puerto Rican volunteers. It is Bridge No. 71 mentioned in a review of historic bridges in Puerto Rico. It is a

Pratt pony truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or s ...

bridge built over the

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in 1897.

References

External links

* Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico Hormigueros, Puerto Rico Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Bridges completed in 1897 1897 establishments in Puerto Rico Spanish–American War Pony truss bridges Pratt truss bridges {{PuertoRico-NRHP-stub